Minister says he wants to make sure he can win horsemeat prosecutions before taking them

Simon Coveney defends lack of charges brought over horsemeat scandal

Minister Simon Coveney has hit back at criticism that there has been no prosecutions after the horsemeat scandal

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Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney has hit back at criticism that there has been no prosecutions after the horsemeat scandal.

Mr Conveney argued that he wanted to secure prosecution but he wouldn’t go to court unless he was sure he could win.

He said : “It takes time to put a case together to make sure you win.”

The Minister said he was pursuing one company that deliberately put false labels on products and that he was getting legal advice about how to secure the prosecution.

Ireland’s reaction to the horsemeat scandal was defended by Mr Coveney as swift.

The Minister spoke on RTE Radio One after the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee claimed Ireland and Britain failed to acknowledge the extent of fraudulent and illegal activity in the frozen and processed meat sector.

It said: "The evidence we received from retailers and food processors in the UK and Ireland suggests a complex, highly organised network of companies trading in and mislabelling frozen and processed meat or meat products in a way that fails to meet specifications and that is fraudulent and illegal.

"We are concerned at the failure of authorities in both the UK and Ireland to acknowledge the extent of this and to bring prosecutions.

"We are dismayed at the slow pace of investigations and would like assurance that prosecutions will be mounted where there is evidence of fraud or other illegal activity."

The committee released a report this morning, which follows a series of parliamentary hearings in Britain.